Ricardo Supris wins his professional MMA match

Cole backs out of main event at Fight Time 10 "It's Personal"

June 22, 2012|By Michael Cohen, Sun Sentinel

FORT LAUDERDALE — The first fight brought paramedics to the ring. The second lasted just 2:43 and ended with a vicious knockout. And as the third fight was about to begin, a skirmish broke out in the audience prompting security to taze one of the spectators.

The opening two matches of Fight Time 10 "It's Personal," as well as the unsanctioned scuffle just beyond the ring, delighted the near-packed house inside the War Memorial Auditorium Friday night. And though the main event of Wilson Gouveia versus Wayne Cole was canceled when Cole skipped town unexpectedly, the remaining fights were anything but dull.

In the first match of the night, Hernandez Banks issued two illegal kicks from the ground to the head of his opponent, Ricardo Supris. The second blow stunned Supris and left him writhing on the ground in equal parts shock and pain.

"It was more surprise," Supris said. "The kicks you don't see hurt the most."

Banks was given two strikes by the referee, and Supris recovered after receiving medical attention to earn a unanimous victory in his first professional fight.

Supris, whose goal was to fight standing up, knocked Banks to the ground late in the third round with a big right hand that sealed his win. Banks attempted to go to the ground and force a submission, but the punches from Supris when the fighters were upright were ultimately too much.

The three judges scored the fight 30-25, 29-28 and 30-25 with all three ruling in favor of Supris.

"Overall, I wanted to stand up," Supris said. "But either ground or standing up I was destined to win.

"Winning my first professional fight is the best thing in the world besides being married and having kids."

Unlike the Supris-Banks fight, which went the full three rounds, the second bout between Carl Darbouze and Damion Williams lasted less than three minutes.

Williams found himself on his back seconds into the match after a powerful kick from Darbouze. It was a strike repeated five times, each of which brought an increasingly desperate grimace to Williams' face.

Darbouze, who was also making his professional debut, appeared quicker and faster than Williams, who entered the fight with a 1-2 record. Any attempt Williams made to take Darbouze to the ground was thwarted by well-timed kicks.

A final flurry of punches to the head forced the referee to stop the fight prior to the conclusion of the first round.

"I just knew I threw a couple big punches, and he didn't see them coming," Darbouze said. "Once I knew he couldn't handle the speed I just let it go."

Gouveia, who said he was in arguably the best shape of his career, was devastated by Cole's decision to back out. He sat ringside for the remaining nine fights, visibly disappointed.

Said Gouveia: "Don't even get me started, bro. I was feeling better than ever."